Two of Colorado's leading Democrats agreed to nix from the November ballot a set of anti-fracking initiatives that some members in the party believed would damage its candidates’ chances of victory come Election Day.

In a nod to party unity, Democratic Rep. Jared Polis agreed to
drop his demands for anti-fracking legislation, instead throwing
his support behind a new initiative from Gov. John Hickenlooper
that would seek to create a special task force to address the
concerns of people over fracking, a controversial method of
extracting oil and gas that injects large amounts of water, sand
and chemicals deep underground to unlock the resources.

In return for dropping the initiatives from the ballot,
Hickenlooper said an 18-member commission would deliver its
suggestions to lawmakers next year on how to resolve the standoff
between communities and the energy companies.

Polis has spent his own money pursuing legislation that would
have placed limits on fracking, including increasing the distance
between residential areas and drilling operations from 500 feet
to 2,000 feet (152 to 610 meters), and give local government more
flexibility when dealing with the industry.

Hickenlooper – who is running for re-election in November’s
ballot - has largely sided with the energy companies, arguing
that restrictions against drilling would weaken Colorado’s
economy.

"I think we can all agree that responsible oil and gas
development in Colorado is critical to our economy, our
environment, our health and our future," Hickenlooper said.

Polis said the governor's decision was "truly a victory for
the people of Colorado and the movement to enact sensible
protections and safeguards around fracking."

Hickenlooper, a former geologist with the gas and oil industry,
has been hounded by ‘fractivists’ throughout his tenure. Last
July, more than 100 anti-fracking protesters demonstrated outside
the Democratic Governors Association to protest a lawsuit filed
by drilling companies and, supported by Hickenlooper, to end a
ban on fracking in Longmont, which is home to one of the largest
natural gas fields in the country.

As part of a compromise to mend fences between pro-industry and
anti-fracking groups on Monday, the governor announced the
cancelation of the lawsuit

"He basically used the dismissal of the lawsuit as a measure
of good faith," Longmont Mayor Pro Tem Brian Bagley told the
Times-Call.

Meanwhile, proponents of fracking, many of whom support the
Republican Party, may also have some reason to cheer the
announcement, especially since fracking is becoming increasingly
unpopular among many citizen and environmental groups. A vote on
the issue in November may have ended the controversial drilling,
thus depriving Colorado of a major source of economic growth.

Nevertheless, the Republican Party issued a statement on Monday
saying the deal proved that Democrats "want even more control
over Colorado's already heavily-regulated energy industry."

Republican Rep. Cory Gardner, who is set to challenge Democrat
Mark Udall for the Senate, said Monday that Polis "should
have dropped these destructive initiatives long ago. I have
opposed the anti-energy initiatives from the beginning and will
continue to promote our state's robust and diverse energy
portfolio," the Wall Street Journal quoted him as saying.

Some pro-drilling enthusiasts, however, declared their support
for Hickenlooper’s plan.

"This is an exciting turn of events," said Republican
lawmaker Frank McNulty, who petitioned to prevent municipalities
that ban fracking from receiving budgetary dollars that derives
from fracking. "For months we've asked Polis to pull his
initiatives in favor of a more constructive approach."

Meanwhile, two major energy groups, the American Petroleum
Institute and the Colorado Oil and Gas Association, announced
Monday they support the idea of a commission to address the
issue.

Largely due to fracking, natural-gas production in Colorado in
the past several years has surged 21 percent, while oil
production has more than doubled, WSJ reported. Much of the new
development has occurred north of Denver, inciting anger among
many residents and causing some cities to ban the practice
altogether - including four in Jared Polis's political district.